Oracle
by lillyinblack
Summary: Trowa joins the Preventers after life leaves him alone once more. What he finds on the Mars base is a life of constant twists and turns. One day is glorious, and the next is terribly dangerous for his inexperenced heart. (Ch1-3 edited.)
1. More than one bullet

Disclaimer: I do not own and bit of Gundam Wing/AC, so no sueing me. hands off!

Note: This came from a plot bunny I got from a website who knows how long ago. I was rummaging through some old papers a while ago and found it lying there printed from notepad. I looked at it again, and thought it was an interesting idea, so I started to work on it. This is a yaoi and non-yaoi piece, just letting you know. I am not going to tell you who the pairings are, you are going to have to read on and see for yourselves. As a warning, make way for violence, strong language, and sexual situations.

Chapter 1: More than one bullet

Trowa could not recall a day that Catherine looked lovelier than at her wedding. He was there for her at all times during the planning for support, and now that the day had come, it was her vision of perfect. Her dress was simple, yet elegant, just like her personality. The ceremony was held at a chapel on the American east coast, with the reception close by.

Catherine's husband was a very successful businessman on L1 colony, where he owned several upscale restaurants, which catered to the affluent set. Trowa was so happy for her when she told him the news, but he was worried when she told him that she would be leaving the circus. Catherine's companionship was the only thing that kept him performing. He knew that she would be leaving eventually, but not as soon as she did. Helping her move her things to L1 hurt the most, because he knew that he was loosing the only thing that felt like home. Hey knew he was going to have to leave the circus too.

He got to be the best man at the ceremony. People kept commenting on how handsome he looked in his tuxedo with the green vest. Couldn't they see how upset he was? As soon as Catherine started down that isle, however, he stopped feeling upset. His sister was so radiant that he could not possibly feel poor about the situation. It was her day, and he knew that she was happy. He smiled genuinely for her, and he stopped thinking on his fate for a while.

"Trowa, you look great!" Duo gave him a hearty smack on the shoulder, which fazed him out of his dream world. He was at the reception; Catherine and her new husband had already left for the honeymoon. Now all Trowa had to do was get through step one, surviving the rest of the reception. He smiled at Duo in his usual, faltering way.

"You don't look so bad yourself, where's Heero?"

"You know, I'm not quite sure," Duo glanced around, "he has been wandering around restless ever since Catherine left."

"Be sure to tell him I said hello." Trowa glanced over Duo's shoulder to see Quatre and a very lovely Dorothy coming their way. Trowa choked for a moment when he saw an intricate diamond ring on her finger. He tried to shake the sinking feeling in his stomach, but it just wouldn't leave him alone.

"It's good to see you, Quatre, Dorothy." He managed as they came over. He received a hug from each of them and a light kiss on the cheek from Dorothy. They started telling him about how business was going on L3, and how things had been improving, and then Quatre dropped the bombshell.

"Things have been well enough that, well," he looked at Dorothy fondly, "I've asked Dorothy to marry me, and we will be doing so next May."

"Congratulations!" Duo shook Quatre's hand, and then hugged them both.

"Indeed, congratulations." Trowa replied as enthusiastically as he could. He saw Quatre again, later that night, where he gave Trowa a business card.

"That's our new address and phone number," he smiled, "I hope you will get in contact with me soon. I wanted to know if you would like to be in the wedding party?"

"I just thought I would be a guest."

"Nonsense! I want you to be a part of it," Quatre put a hand on Trowa's shoulder, "you're one of my best friends, after all." The words hurt more than Trowa thought they would. Trowa and Quatre had an on-again, off-again relationship for almost as long as they had known one another. Trowa would date women in between, but they would always break things off because they felt he was too distant. After that, Trowa and Quatre became rather serious, but Quatre ended it suddenly, saying that a same sex relationship would not be good for them in the long run. Trowa felt that some asshole in the ranks of Quatre's company scared him out of the relationship. Shortly after their breakup, Quatre began a very public relationship with Dorothy Catalonia. Trowa never really recovered from the series of events, even though Catherine was always there for him. Seeing that ring on Dorothy's finger was the final wound in his back, so Trowa hoped.

"Well," he moved away from the contact of Quatre's hand and walked toward the doors of the reception hall, "don't call me, I'll call you, and I mean that." Quatre didn't understand what he meant as he watched Trowa slip outside, unnoticed. At least the air outside was not oppressive to Trowa.

"That was a shitty thing he did to you." Trowa heard a familiar voice come from the parking lot. Heero was leaning against a white rental car, smoking a cigarette. Trowa shrugged and walked over.

"I guess his marketing department felt that gay was a poor image." Heero chuckled a little, tapping the ash and taking a short drag from his cigarette.

"Duo said you wanted to see me."

"I need a gun."

"Running away?" Heero asked and opened the trunk of the rental car, and then opened a suitcase inside. A small arsenal of handguns was revealed, and Trowa looked over them.

"Just getting away from the busy life for a while," Trowa retorted, "I didn't think you would have this many with you."

"I keep them with just incase I pick up a good sale," he smirked, "by the way, what happened to all of your guns?"

"I was a civilian in the circus," he loaded a clip into his handgun of choice, "I didn't really need anything lethal."

"So, you're not going to be a civilian anymore?" Heero smirked a little, his interest caught.

"I'm not sure yet," Trowa fished out a clip of bills and held it out to Heero, "but defense is always a wandering man's best friend."

"Don't worry about it," Heero pushed the money back towards Trowa, "I am sure you are going to need it more than I will. Just know that there are two guys on L2 who would like to hear from you time to time." Heero handed him a slip of paper and two clips of ammunition.

"What's this?"

"Our home phone," Heero flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, "I don't like handing it out to most people."

"Thanks, Heero," Trowa left for his own car, "I'm sure you will be hearing from me soon." He heard a sharp reply while he got into the driver's seat.

"Just remember what I told you about death, it's why I gave you more than one bullet." Trowa chuckled and shut the door.


	2. Raw and worn

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 2: Raw and worn

For a while, Trowa wondered if up and disappearing was the best idea, but he covered his tracks well. He heard from Duo that Catherine was worried about him, but he had Duo send along a message of good will. He felt a little better after that, but not by much, and his guilt would nag at him endlessly.

He sold his car after a few days of driving, which gave him enough money to live well until he figured out what he wanted to do. Duo kept asking him to come and stay with them on L2, but Trowa was not ready to go back and live there again. Something about traveling on his own was liberating, and the solitude was strangely comforting.

He knew that he needed to find some security, something he could apply himself to. He had been against joining the Preventers for some time, but it seemed rather appealing when he passed by a recruiting station in one of the larger, more urban cities. He laughed to himself, realizing that he would have nothing to loose by joining. He knew that me might run into people he knew, but the idea seemed non-threatening. The girl behind the desk watched him with sharp eyes while he filled out the paperwork. She looked it over as he turned it in, and then looked at him with a smile.

"Everything is in order, please follow me," she lead him through several hallways and doors until they reached a garage with busses; several men and women were about with their belongings, "you will be heading out with this group. The bus will take you to an airfield where you will be sent to our headquarters on L2. From there you shall receive your training and assignment."

"Thank you."

"Do you have prior training?" she asked quickly.

"You could say that." He smirked in reply. She looked at him shrewdly for a moment, and chuckled.

"Just have security check your gun before you leave Earth." Trowa watched her leave, and then he found a place near the bus where he sat and relaxed. All of the other people present were very much unlike him. Most of them were middle-aged men, there were a few women in their twenties, and only a couple of teenagers. Most of them looked very worn, their features were cut and raw by hard years. Trowa wondered why none of the other Gundam pilots looked that way. Perhaps war, as terrible as it was, did not have the same effect on them. He would see that tired look on Quatre from time to time, but that made sense to him. Quatre was the only one of them who had a relatively good childhood. He had something to loose; he had innocence. Thinking on Quatre so deeply disheartened Trowa a little, so he dropped the subject in his mind.

The bus driver and the receptionist came through the doors an hour later with three other recruits. Everyone was ushered onto the bus for a three-hour ride to the airfield. Trowa's cell phone began ringing about halfway through the trip. Duo was on the other line.

"Heero wants to know where you are off to."

"Sometimes I wonder how he knows that I'm moving," Trowa was glad to hear a friendly voice, "I guess you can tell him that I am going to space."

"So you've agreed to visit?" There was excitement in his voice.

"No," Trowa let out a slight sigh, "I am joining the Preventers."

"Oh," Duo sounded a little disappointed, "well, at least I will know where you are instead of having to guess."

"Duo, you sound almost motherly."

"Shut the Hell up, Barton," Duo said indignantly, "I'd be the scariest fucking mother you've ever seen." Trowa had to bite his lip to keep from laughing loudly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Duo sighed, "just give us a call when you get settled."

"Alright, I will, goodbye Duo."

"Goodbye." Trowa put the phone back in his pocket. He amused himself by imagining Heero and Duo as his father and mother. He knew they would kill him if they heard about his little goof on them, but it lifted his spirits.

The flight into space felt all too familiar to Trowa. There were a few passengers who had never been to space before, and he thought it was funny that they were so scared. When they arrived at the bas at L2, they were lead into a briefing room where, lo and behold, stood Lady Une and Lucrezia Noin. He watched them during the briefing, surprised by how much they had changed. Lady Une looked calm and ravishing, her face bright and her movements full of energy. Noin, on the other hand, had that raw look about her. She was still very beautiful, but she looked deadly serious and worn. When she noticed Trowa, a look of surprise came over her features. Trowa had certainly grown up; at twenty-one years old, he was still lithe and limber, but he had grown a little taller and filled out. Lucrezia found herself staring for a moment before turning away. He had the same, dauntless stance that Milliardo was all too good at.

"We will call you into the office one at a time, alphabetically by last name," Une concluded, "we will go over your paperwork and history, and then send you onto your next step as Preventers recruits." She and Noin left into an office after calling the first name. Luckily, it did not take long to get to the name Barton. He slid into the office and took a seat in front of the two women.

"I never thought I would see you here, 03." Lady Une smiled.

"Please, call me Trowa," he replied, "I don't really care for the nickname anymore."

"I'm sorry about that, Trowa."

"It's alright."

"So, why are you here?" Noin asked, "I thought you were avoiding joining."

"I need a home," he smirked, "I figured you would take in a stray." Noin's eyes narrowed until she realized that he was making fun of himself and not the organization.

"Well, I already have your assignment for you," Lady Une handed him a folder, "I am sending you over to Mars base for enforcement of the peace. I figured with your experience, you could skip the training."

"So, I'm a space-cop?" Trowa asked innocently. Noin laughed, and for a moment, Trowa saw her raw visage wash away. It made him smile.

"Sort of," Noin answered, "and it is only to start on. Besides, some of our best are in that division, so you should fit right in." Trowa was sent through all of the procedures of graduating trainees shortly afterward. He received his uniforms, suits, ID, and standard issue weaponry. He was glad that he was allowed to keep the gun Heero gave him as well. He left to the hangar where other graduates were waiting to go on their first assignments. Lady Une and Noin were there again, ready to see them off.

"It is proper procedure," Noin began, "as well as part of our telecommunications and data offices to give each new officer a code name that they shall be addressed as and identified by. As I call your name, step forward to receive your ID tags, card, and subsequent code name." Trowa's name came up quickly; he stepped forward and saluted.

"Trowa Barton," Noin smiled while handing him his ID and tags, "from this day on, you shall be known to the Preventers as Oracle." Trowa stepped back into line after another salute. He slipped the tags and their chain around his neck and tucked the card into his uniform pocket. He was not sure about the name Oracle, it made him feel uneasy as he remembered myths from ancient Greece where oracles, although important, were generally the bearers of bad news.

"More than one bullet," he mumbled to himself on the flight to Mars, "does the world really need another Oracle?"


	3. If you lived here

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Chapter 3: If you lived here...

The base on Mars was highly advanced and welcoming. It reminded Trowa of a college campus in the way things were set up. His room was located in hostel five, so he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and followed the signs toward it. It had been a long day and Trowa was ready to meet his senior officers and then get straight to bed. Each hostel was comprised of six rooms. One team resided in each particular hostel.

Trowa finally reached hostel five and knocked on the door labeled common room. He heard a woman's voice call him in, so he obliged and stepped inside. There on the couch sat Sally Po and Chang Wufei, two other women were at a table playing chess. Wufei looked stunned.

"Trowa?" He questioned after a moment.

"I didn't think I would be seeing you two." Trowa was pleasantly surprised. He received a hug from Wufei shortly afterward, which surprised him even more. Sally stood up and motioned for the two chess players to follow.

"I am glad they sent someone of such high caliber our way," she smiled, "you'll make a fine replacement."

"Replacement?" Trowa's brow furrowed.

"Noin was offered a job at H.Q.," Wufei answered, "you probably saw her there."

"Yes I did, actually."

"Well, we should introduce you to our other two officers," Sally stepped between the other two women, "go ahead and tell him about yourselves." The elder of the two stepped forward; her wavy blonde hair fell past her shoulders, and it matched well with her pale green eyes.

"My name is Gale Wright," she extended her hand, which he took gently, "I'm 21 and I have been here for about three years now, originally from England." She had hardly finished before the second girl came forward and gave Trowa an enthusiastic handshake. She was a little shorter than Gale, but had energy enough to make up for it. She had straight, shoulder-length, jet-black hair, which she had tied into a ponytail at the time, and here eyes were a dark chocolate brown.

"Andrea Kirin Ryan," she smiled as she relinquished her grip, "I'm 18 and I came here from Japan about a year ago."

"Nice to make your acquaintance," he smiled and looked from Andrea to Gale, "both of you."

"Of course," Sally interjected, "we will mostly be referring to one-another by our alias names, since things tend to run on them around here. Mine is Fire."

"I go by Horus on missions." Wufei said from off to the side.

"My alias is Willow." Gale smiled.

"And I'm Rhine." Andrea grinned, "What is the name they gave you?"

"Oracle."

"The new sect is Greek for sure, then," Wufei said almost triumphantly, "I wonder where they shall move from there." Before Trowa could ask what Wufei was speaking of, Sally shot a look over her shoulder at her partner before explaining.

"There is a pattern back at headquarters of naming," she reflected, "all names given during certain seasons of recruitment are related. It signifies seniority, or at least that is what we think."

"Sally came from the first, the elementals," Gale elaborated, "Wufei was shortly after, during the Egyptians. I came a year or so after, with the trees, and Andrea was on the tail-end of last season, which was rivers."

"Strange." Trowa mumbled underneath his breath.

"Not really," Andrea shrugged, "just easier for the blue-collar stiffs down at H.Q., they are like cattle-brands."

"You shouldn't refer to them as blue-collar stiffs," Sally tried to sound accusatory, but a smile still played across her lips, "now help Trowa with his things, he'll be in Noin's old room."

"Sure thing!" The younger girl smiled and latched hold of Trowa's belongings before he could protest, "She had a nice room, right by the door."

"Why was that the best?" Trowa slipped his hands into his pockets and followed, faintly smiling.

"Because she could come and go as she pleased." Andrea turned around and winked after opening the door to the small quarters. There was a simple bedroom connected to a small bathroom, but in truth, it was more than Trowa was expecting.

"Thank you, Andrea." He smiled and looked at the bare, industrial furnishings.

"No problem," she put his belongings on the modestly colored bedclothes on the queen mattress, "with a little time, it will seem like home."

"Maybe so." He mumbled.

"Just give it a chance," Andrea smiled and walked toward the door, "you may just end up finding what you've been missing here at the base." He smiled faintly back as she shut the door. He went about unpacking his things, which were few, but he did begin to agree with the girl. The simple, slate-blue room looked a little better with a couple books upon the shelf, jackets hanging in the open closet, and his few photos in the mirror's frame. Something about the room was still different though. It was the smell. At first, he could not put his finger on it, but as he lay on the bed for a time reading a book, it struck him. It still smelled like Lucrezia. A soft mix of hair products, perfume, flowers, and her skin's own natural scent hung gently in the air. He hoped that as he lived in the room that the scent would eventually disappear, the sooner the better. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the main door opening and shutting. He put his book down and lifted himself from bed as he heard Gale speaking to an inaudible male voice. He opened his door just in time to nearly crash into Milliardo Peacecraft.

"Sorry." Came the only response from Milliardo for a moment. Trowa was almost uncomfortable with the silence and proximity. He took a step back and stiffened.

"Good to see you too."

"That was rude of me, wasn't it?"

"It could be taken that way," Trowa felt a smirk nagging at the corner of his mouth, but he kept it tamed, "so, may I ask why you were going to barge into my room?" Milliardo's smirk came unhindered, and his pale eyes danced in defiance.

"And why do you think I was going to barge in?"

"Because your hand was on the keypad," Trowa looked outside of the door to the small LCD screen on the electronic lock, "and you already dialed half of the code." Milliardo, to Trowa's surprise, merely chuckled.

"So you caught me," he looked up with a domineering stance, "I heard we had a new recruit, I just didn't know it was you." Trowa studied him. If this was an attempt at intimidation, it was not working.

"Sorry, I didn't leave a note." Trowa stated flatly, "So, what am I supposed to call you now?"

"Zechs, or Wind if we are on mission," Milliardo was tired of playing; he was angry enough as is, and the banter with Trowa wasn't funny anymore, "what is your mission name?"

"Oracle." Trowa answered, uncrossing his arms.

"I'll remember that," Zechs turned around to the rest of the group who had been watching their momentary distraction in between their mundane tasks, "letting you all know, they changed dinner hour on us this week, so we should head down there in about ten minutes in order to get first shot." With that, he left to his room. Gale rolled her eyes after the door shut. Trowa looked at her curiously. She looked at him, giving a weak smile as she walked over.

"He has been intolerable since Noin left," she whispered in his ear, "they were together for quite some time, but they were having problems. She finally broke it off when she got her promotion."

"No means for him to act out."

"Ahh, give him some time," she smiled in her hushed tone, "after all, you are her replacement of sorts, he probably resents her for abandoning him." Her mouth curled into an amused smile, which made him chuckle.

"Gale, quite spreading gossip," Andrea came over and took Trowa's arm, "you heard Zechs, we get early meals this week, lets show our new teammate around this bunker." Gale conceded with an over-dramatic sigh and took Trowa's other arm.

"I guess." She rolled her eyes again, followed by a laugh at herself. They led him to the door when Wufei called to them.

"Hey Trowa, don't let them brainwash you, it wont be pretty," he said in a rueful way, to which the other girls gave a little protest, "we will join you in a few minutes." Wufei ignored the girls' protests as Trowa led them out. Zechs just sat in his room, looking at a stack of paperwork that would take forever to finish, and a photo from years past that gave him so many unanswerable questions.

A.N. : I have been working pretty hard on this one, burning the midnight oil as they say. I do most of my writing around 11pm to anywhere from midnight to 3am, depending on how into my writing I am that night. The beginning of this chapter was written in Febuary, but about a quarter of the way through is fresh as of a couple nights ago. I finished this chapter last night and have launched into #4 with a lot of good ideas and ways to create some trouble for my favorite Gundam boy. Don't fret, though, I won't get him into a space that he can't get out of eventually. Thank you all who have been reading, and I hope you like this installment!


	4. Outings and Old Flames

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Yes... the rating changed, as I expected it would. GASP! As fair warning, I love weird pairings very very much. I have gotten sick of the old 1x2 3x4 staples that everyone seems to write. Yes, I am guilty of it too, but there is nothing I like better than reading a really odd pairing. So expect some odd pairings here. Also, if you happen to know some writers who also like unusual pairings and write them, please leave me a note with their name so that I may go stalk... er, watch them. ; This was all written out in my notebook except for the tail end, because I finally ran out of pages. TT As always, thank you very much for the support, and I am glad you all like my torturing of Trowa. Onward!

Chapter 4: Outings and old Flames

Life at the Mars base was rather peaceful after the first night. Trowa was creating quite a bond with the young Andrea, who stuck to him like a little sister. They played games and watched movies together during their downtime. She was comfortable enough with him to reveal little bits of her nature, which she usually kept locked behind her business-like mannerisms. Outwardly, she was a very happy, yet work-oriented girl. Allegedly though, she had a rebellious side with distaste for rules, authority, and common sense. Trowa chalked this claim up to normal teenage behavior, but doubted it was even true because of her normal behavior. He did not completely write it off though, because some people just need the right circumstances and the right trigger to bring out the worst in them.

Gale seemed a little more street-savvy; yet that does not mean she lacked charm. A hint of her native accent remained despite years of being away from home, and it added to her refined manner. She was well read, and extremely analytical, but Trowa always felt she was missing something. In a lot of ways, Gale reminded him of Catherine, which made him feel a bit more at home for the first few weeks.

Sally was the same as always, and so was Wufei for the most part. Without all of the responsibility of being a Gundam pilot weighing upon him, Wufei allowed himself to take it a little easier for a change. He went back to studying and reading again, outside of his martial arts training. He still, however, remained deadly serious when upon a mission.

Trowa was beginning to become accustomed to life on the base. He was still bothered that Lucrezia's scent was still about his room, but he maintained the hope that it would go away in time.

"Hello?" Duo's voice was clear over the phone connection.

"Hey Duo." Trowa was glad to talk to him.

"Trowa, good to hear from you, how are things?"

"They are going well," Trowa smiled, "though I am getting a little stir crazy living in this hostel."

"You know that you can leave as long as you are back two hours before an assignment."

"I know, but... hey, how did you know that?"

"Trowa, do you honestly think that I would not have, at some point, researched the Preventors?"

"I can see you now Duo, in the kitchen, the phone tucked between your ear and shoulder, accusing me with your hands on your hips," Trowa couldn't help but grin, "I feel so loved."

"Trowa, I would not hesitate to knock you out if I could."

"Thanks, Ma," Trowa kept himself from laughing, "so, what his happening outside of the Mars base?"

"Well..." Duo calmed quickly from the mother comment, "Heero and I had lunch with Quatre today, unexpectedly."

"Oh."

"He wants to talk to you, Trowa." Duo sighed after a long moment.

"Well, I don't really want to talk to him," Trowa bit back, "besides, knowing my luck, Dorothy will answer the phone in that pretty voice of hers, and I end up wanting to kill myself!"

"Trowa." Duo said sternly.

"Sorry."

"I told him you needed time to get adjusted, so I doubt he will ask again for awhile."

"Well, good," Trowa's voice trailed off for a moment, "Duo, I can't even stand to look at old photos of the five of us anymore because he is in them."

"Look, I know the situation sucks right now, but," Duo tried to comfort him, "it is just something you have to get through, for God's sake, don't let this kill you." Trowa was silent for a moment.

"You're right Duo, it's just going to take time."

"And I hope it won't take too long."

"Hopefully not," Trowa responded, "I'd better get going now."

"Trowa."

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself, kid," Duo said, sounding a little weary, "and expect a little something in the mail soon."

"Okay, I will, goodbye Duo."

"Goodbye, Trowa." There was a heavy click, and then silence. Trowa sighed and hung up the phone before running a hand through his tousled hair. He got up soon after, suddenly thirsty. Upon entering the cafeteria, he found Andrea sitting at a table with a laptop, looking rather bored.

"What's up, kid?" He ruffled her loose hair and sat next to her, drinking the soda he just got from the machine.

"Wasting away." She smoothed out the raven-colored strands and went back to typing.

"Wasting away?" Isn't that a little dramatic?"

"Isn't calling me 'kid' a little ridiculous?" She looked at him again, becoming serious for a moment, "Besides, I have not been off base for a couple of months."

"Then why not go tonight, it's not like it's late." Trowa looked at his watch, which ready 6:30p.m. Their group did not have a mission until three the next day. He looked back up at Andrea just in time to see her wicked little smile sneak across her face.

"Come to think of it, there is a party tonight," she leaned toward him as if telling him a secret, "but I can't go unless I have a 21 year old guardian."

"Let me guess, you've already asked Gale, and she said no."

"I know for a fact that she won't go, so I didn't waste my breath on her." Her dark eyes glimmered at him.

"And what makes you think I'll go?" Trowa asked, pointing his thumb into his chest in a casual manner as his right eyebrow arched a bit.

"Because you love me," she teased in a childish way, "besides, I know that you are getting a little stir-crazy being cooped up here, too." Trowa thought about it for a moment. Truly, what harm would it be to attend the party? He could keep an eye on Andrea easily enough, and it was probably taking place in one of the nearby colonies.

"Well, I guess we can go." He answered after his silent deliberation. Andrea hugged him tight before shutting her laptop. Before long, they were dressed in civilian clothes and were on a quick shuttle to L2. It crossed Trowa's mind more than once on the flight that he should go visit Heero and Duo, but figured he should just go to the party and try to have a good time. After all, he was responsible for Andrea. Once docked at L2, they boarded a bus, which took them into the heart of the orbiting city.

"So what is this party?" Trowa asked Andrea, who was already excited to be off base.

"There is a club here, called Nightshade," she explained, "they are celebrating their 10th anniversary tonight."

"And you think we can get in?" Trowa had heard of the Nightshade, and he knew it to be one of the trendiest clubs in the colony.

"I am friends with the Manager, he called to make sure I was going, so I doubt we will have a problem." She seemed dauntless in her words. They got off the bus a short time later to see a long line down the sidewalk outside of the club.

"Come on!" She took his arm and led him down to the entrance. Sure enough, as they approached, the Manager called out to them and opened the velvet ropes in one fluid motion. The air inside seemed thick, but the energy was up and the music loud. Still, there was something about the place that bothered Trowa. To his surprise, he lost Andrea almost instantly in the huge crowd. He told himself that he would find her later; after all, Andrea was 18, and she was a responsible adult. It was 8:30, and Trowa felt lost. He treated himself to the bar in order to numb himself a bit to the warning sirens in his head.

On his second, and last, scotch, he felt as if someone was breathing down his neck. He spun around in his seat but found nobody around in his general area. He shrugged his shoulders as a chill ran down his spine. There was definitely something wrong at the Nightshade. He got up and left to the dance floor to find Andrea, the urge to flee the club scraping at him. He pushed past a few feverish dancers before someone caught his eye. It was Lucrezia.

Normally, he would have never taken a second look, but there she was like he had never seen her before. She wore a black dress cut to her upper thigh, simple, but it hugged each curve upon her body in just the right way. The neckline was a halter; her back was exposed about midway. With the wave she moved and the expression on her face, he could tell that she was searching for something, and the men dancing around here were not cutting it. Their eyes locked, and she slowed for a moment. He watched her brush the hair from her eyes as they studied him. He could not pull his eyes away, and something about her partially open, pouting mouth sparked him. He took a step forward only to be knocked off balance by Andrea, who had obviously been drinking.

"Trowa! I'm so glad I've found you!" She steadied herself as he kept her from falling, "Come here, I've got something to tell you." She didn't wait for him though, and she threw her arms in a cumbersome way around his neck and started to kiss him roughly. He managed to slip from her vodka-tasting kiss, and her damaging grip, but the motion set her off-balance and she fell to the ground. Without a second thought, Trowa picked her up and took her to a nearby booth. Her Manager friend had seen the incident and hurried over.

"Is she okay?" He asked, exasperated.

"Fine, she just needs to get some rest."

"No problem," the young Manager smiled, "she can stay at my family's place here in the colony. I'll have my private driver take her, and my wife will look after her."

"That is kind of you," Trowa was still concerned, "but we have a mission tomorrow, and she should really go back to the base."

"Nonsense, she will be on the fastest shuttle home in the morning, after she gets a good meal and spends some time with us," he beamed, "besides, we hardly get to see her anymore, what with her being a Preventer and all." Trowa opened his mouth to protest, but one look from the Manager shut him up. They went around to the side of the building where a short limousine was parked. Trowa placed Andrea carefully in the backseat, and started to climb in himself, but he was stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry about it, stay here and have a good time!" The Manager again beamed at him, "Besides, I already said my wife will look after her, she is a nurse at the hospital after all."

"But I really should stay with her."

"She will be fine, it is not like she is staying with strangers." After another couple minutes of arguing, Trowa found himself watching the limo leave and then got escorted back into the club that he was previously trying to escape. It took him a moment, but as he walked around inside for a moment, his mind wandered back to Lucrezia. She looked so different, and she moved with a fluid ferocity. The worst of it all was that he liked it. The strange feeling of fight-or-flight had not yet left him either. He walked past a row of booths when he heard his name called.

"That was a nice thing you did." Came shortly after. He turned to find Lucrezia, head resting upon her folded hands with two glasses of wine at the table, "Join me?" Trowa slipped into the booth and thanked her before taking a sip from his glass. They began talking about little bits of everything; current events, jobs, old memories, the conversation flowed between them easily. After they finished their drinks she pulled him out to dance. A Latin song played, and she taught him some of the basic points of the tango, which he picked up easily.

"You would make a great dancer, Trowa." She smiled up at him.

"I'm a better circus clown," he smirked a bit, "you would make the better dancer." Trowa was finding it hard to resist touching her, and the little things she noticed about the woman were making him a bit hot under the collar. Her eyes never seemed more true or sad, her hair smelled of roses, and her mouth would return to the same pout that he first saw her sporting. He spun her gently, and she came back flush against him, one hand tangling in his hair, the other grasping his arm, and her face was inches from his.

"I'm lonely, Trowa." Her eyes were still sad, but a hunger had been uncovered.

"Why would you want me?" He asked, his breath suddenly shallow, and a barely noticeable flush flicked across his face.

"When I saw you come to the Preventers, you weren't a boy anymore," she almost seemed to be sighing the words, "I saw you as a man." At that moment, he did not know what to do. An incredible woman was practically begging to give herself to him, and there was still that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something caught his eye, and he looked up for a moment, into the balcony. There was Quatre, dressed in slick blacks leaning against the guardrail with a glass of champagne. Trowa locked eyes with his former lover, and Quatre paled greatly. Trowa just stared up at Quatre until he felt the sharp nips of Lucrezia biting at his neck. His eyes fell shut for a moment, and he forced them open again.

"Why the fuck not?" He mumbled as his pleasure-filled eyes met with Quatre's again. He felt the wicked grin overtake his features as he brought his lips, and full attention, to Lucrezia. He took her hand and led her outside after a few more kisses.

"Come with me," she said as she ransacked her purse for her keys, "you can stay at my apartment, if you'd like." They had reached her car, and he pushed her up against the driver's side door, trailing kisses down her neck.

"As long as you'll be in the same room," his breath was hot on her pulse, and his mouth curled into that same little smirk, "otherwise, I'll have to decline."

"Just let me get us there." She grinned as he reluctantly released her.

The door to her apartment was barely opened before she was kissing him, pulling off his jacket. He smiled and pulled away, shutting and locking the door.

"Now, don't you want to take things slow?" He teased as he turned back around.

"I don't know," a blush rose into her cheeks as she headed down a hallway toward her bedroom, "it seems like you were ready to go." A wolfish grin crossed Trowa's face as he hurried down the hallway and into her bedroom where she was already lying on white sheets seductively.

"Well, I was, and I still am," he countered, "I just believe a woman of your caliber deserves romance."

"We talked, we danced, we drank, we enjoyed one-another's company," she looked up at him while removing her black high-heeled shoes, "perhaps we enjoy one-another's company a little more, eh?" Trowa could not pull his eyes away from the woman upon the bed. She looked up at him from the sheets with such clear purpose and objective, while still retaining such grace. He wondered why he didn't meet women like this more often, because if he did, he probably would be completely straight again. Thoughts of Quatre suddenly came back into his mind, but instead of them torturing him, he just remembered how mortified Quatre looked to see Lucrezia all over him. He grinned and pulled off his shirt quickly, and captured Lucrezia in a kiss. She bit back hungrily at him, so he obliged and removed her dress in a painfully slow manner.

"You certainly take your time." She teased as he held her.

"I'm just making sure I will claim every bit of you." He grinned as the dress fell further, he kisses along every part of her exposed flesh, finally laying her down on the bed and tossing the garment aside. He took her beauty in for a moment, how gentle her curves were, the color of her skin, her strong muscles underneath that smooth skin, and her scent that still haunted his room. Her eyes were heavy now, but more calmed from her fevered look at the club. Her touch still beckoned him to fulfill her, and she moaned sincerely as his hands studied the length of her body.

"Trowa." She said in a breathy gasp.

"Hmm?"

"Take me."

"With pleasure."


	5. Homeless

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 5: Homeless

Trowa awoke in a daze the next morning. His vision was blurry, his head foggy, and his body ached. Blinking to adjust to the light, he finally remembered where he was. He was tangled in the white bed sheets of Lucrezia Noin, who happened to be missing from them. Trowa's brow furrowed as he threw the bedding from his body and slipped back into his jeans. He wandered into the living room and ran across a short note next to a small vase of roses. It read 'Thank you for the wonderful night.- Lucrezia', her phone number trailing underneath the flowing script. Trowa smiled slightly and then looked at the clock. It was only ten in the morning. He helped himself to a shower and made the mussed bed before he left to catch his shuttle to the Mars base.

Upon arriving at the hanger, he noticed Andrea waiting to board the same shuttle. Guilt over not calling her rushed over him, but he knew that he could explain to her what happened, and she would more than likely understand. He quickly snuck over, tucked his arms around her waist, and lifted her into the air.

"Hey!" She squirmed in his arms. Trowa laughed and set her down gently.

"Good morning, Andrea." He greeted. Andrea's gaze fell sharply to the ground, her face twisted into a look of frustration, guilt, and embarrassment.

"Trowa, I am really sorry."

"No, don't, you don't need to apologize, if anything, I do." Trowa's smile faded.

"Yes, I really do, there are a lot of things I need to say." She was about to continue when they announced boarding. They hurried on, and took a seat near the back, out of the way of most of the passengers. Andrea sat by the window and buried her face into her hands with a sigh. Trowa sat right next to her, setting a reassuring hand upon her hunched shoulder and tried to get her attention.

"I should have stayed with you last night."

"No, that was fine," she sighed again and sat up, turning her body toward him, "the Briar family took care of me, you know, the club Manager. I spent time with his wife and their two sons today, and she got me back on my feet. I am not surprised that Mr. Briar kept you there. He loves to get soldiers off of bases, since they generally have the best time and are repeat customers."

"He doesn't really take no for an answer." Trowa cracked a small smile.

"No, not really, but he is a good person," Andrea suddenly shook her head again and bit her lip, bidding tears away from her eyes, "I am just really... really sorry for the way I acted last night."

"What are you talking about?"

"Trowa, I may get drunk, but I sure as hell don't forget everything." She looked at him sternly.

"Okay, well, what do you need to say?"

"Well..." she steeled herself, "That kiss... was rather abrupt, and I..."

"You can tell me." Trowa brushed an arrant strand of hair that fell across her eyes. She seemed to choke up a bit, her confidence faltered.

"I didn't mean it, it was in the heat of the moment. I didn't have total control, and my body was leading me..." she gushed, "I am really sorry, and it won't happen again."

"Andrea... I understand that these things happen, but you have to promise me something, okay?"

"Sure, anything."

"I never want to see alcohol near you again until you are legally able to drink it." Trowa looked at her with a serious mask across his features.

"That's fine," she gave a relieved sigh, "that is fine with me." Trowa could tell that she was holding back, but seeing as how upset she was he did not want to pry further. They were silent for a few minutes as the shuttled jettisoned into space toward their base. "So, where were you last night?"

"I..." Trowa faltered. He knew she was going to ask eventually.

"Well, you obviously stayed on the colony somewhere, since you are here with me now." Andrea seemed to perk up a bit now that the spotlight was not on her, "Were you with those two friends of yours who live there?"

"N-no I was not." Trowa clipped the sentence.

"So where were you?" Andrea arched an eyebrow, her playful mood back in full swing. Trowa swallowed his pride.

"I was out with someone I met at the club." If Andrea was any less of a lady she would have leapt into his lap with a gun pointed at his temple, demanding he tell the whole story, but she kept her curiosity leashed.

"So can you tell me about this woman, about what you did?" She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way, and declared an inward victory when she noticed his features flush wine-red.

"She is someone I had not seen in awhile, and we spent some time together."

"Come off it Trowa." She scolded, "Do you remember who you are talking to? It is me, Andrea, you can tell me."

"Well, we danced, we had a couple of drinks, and she invited me home with her."

"So you stayed the night then?"

"Yes."

"How was the sex?"

"Andrea!" He said a little louder than he wanted to. He shook his head and then whispered venomously, "I don't think that... damn it."

"Just answer the question." She giggled.

"Earth-shattering." Although his tone was sarcastic, Andrea noticed a glint in his eye that backed up his statement.

"So, does this woman have a name?"

"I don't think that would be a great idea to tell anyone." Trowa warned.

"Oh come on, tell me."

"Andrea..." Trowa looked at her in the eye, "I just don't think it is wise." The pieces were all falling into place suddenly in her head.

"Oh god, Trowa," she looked at him desperately, "not her."

"Yes, her."

"Shit! Trowa do you know how much damn trouble you'll be in if Zechs finds out?!" Andrea was the one whispering now.

"I really don't give a damn about how Zechs will feel," Trowa suddenly felt ice running through his veins, "he had his chance, his fucking loss."

"Well yeah, his fuckin' loss, but Trowa!" Andrea pleaded, "That does not rule out how he can make life a living Hell for you on base!" Trowa had not thought of that. Zechs and Lucrezia had only recently broken up, and Zech's resentment and regret was still running high. Zechs was nothing but a time bomb waiting for someone to send him over the edge.

"Andrea... you can't tell anyone about this, not Gale, not Sally, nobody, okay?"

"Well sure, but don't feel hurt if I deny knowing if I get questioned on it." Andrea looked at him sadly.

"I understand totally, this is my mess anyway." They switched their conversations elsewhere for the rest of the flight. Andrea never let Trowa know the other reasons why his one-night-stand bothered her. Lucrezia was fresh out of a relationship, and she was already throwing herself at another man? Could this just be a rebound for her, could Trowa just serve as a method to satisfy her hunger? Andrea admitted to herself that even the best woman could be venomous and vindictive without noticing, and using a man for temporary pleasure was something women got away with regularly. Sure, with most men, it was not a problem, but with Trowa, it was different. It was as if he had only recently become acclimated with his emotions. They were deep rooted, and he had a good heart, but he had no real idea of the extent of people's exploitation of them. Andrea suddenly realized that Trowa was in real danger of getting hurt, but she had no bearing on the situation. The inevitable would just have to pan out, and it made her sick to her stomach. Looking at the man sitting next to her on the shuttle, chatting on idly about how their mission should go that afternoon, Andrea suddenly realized the depth of what she felt for him, and it made her want to die.

"Are you feeling up for today?"

"Huh, what?" She snapped herself out of her thoughts. Trowa's green eyes reflected relief and happiness again, and she felt her own features melt into that same good feeling.

"Yeah, I am fine, just a little headache, that's all."

"Good," he smiled, "I don't want my favorite girl anything below 100 percent on mission."

"She won't be." Andrea smiled. 'And she'll never be', she thought to herself. The shuttle arrived at the base at two in the afternoon. They had enough time to go and suit up for the mission, before going to the briefing meeting with their fellow officers. They even managed to dodge interrogation of the night before with a quick summary of the night before, sans a few important details. Trowa, however, did not avoid a questioning look from Zechs before the meeting started. Their mission was completed within two hours of take-off, and they headed back to the hostel to change up for dinner. Trowa was dragging his feet a little bit, wanting to read for a little while before leaving.

"I will save you a seat with us, hun." Andrea grinned before she left with Sally, Gale, and Wufei. Zechs told them that he was going to finish the mission report before he met up with them. Trowa finally stripped out of his mission uniform and put his book on the nightstand. He looked into the mirror in the small bathroom and smiled to himself. He didn't mind the scent of the room anymore, now that he had gotten to know the owner of that scent so intimately. He opened his room door to leave only to find himself in the same situation as the first night he arrived. Zechs, who formerly had to look down at the younger pilot, now used the same domineering stance while being at eye-level. He didn't say a word for a moment.

"There has been something strange about you since you came back."

"I don't know what you mean." Trowa slipped around him and shut the door. He started to walk toward the door into the main corridors when he heard Zechs growl from behind. Even with his quick speed and even quicker reflexes, Trowa could not avoid what happened next. He found himself being spun around and pinned painfully against the wall. Both wrists were pinned expertly above his head, and his skull made a resounding crack against the drywall. A yelp of pain came to his throat, but Trowa kept it down and stared darkly at his captor.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing!?" Trowa demanded. Zechs didn't answer. To Trowa's dismay and great confusion, Zechs merely leaned in, his face brushing against Trowa's neck and hair. A chill ran down Trowa's spine, and the urge to kick out of Zechs' hold was growing stronger. A sickness curled in Trowa's chest, and he wanted to flee. Suddenly, out of the mix of confusion, he heard Zech's low voice.

"You smell like her..." Trowa's heart started pounding against his chest again. He had been found out. Zechs pulled back to look into Trowa's face. He looked far too calm to be possible. Trowa's face was blank and stern, though inside he was in turmoil. He was so mixed up and distracted that he didn't notice Zechs swing with his free hand until it was too late. Trowa fell to the floor; an explosion of pain had erupted on the right side of his face. He looked up at Zechs and got into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. Zechs clenched his fists, looking as if to hit him again, but relented.

"Zechs..."

"If you speak of her, if you look at pictures of her, or worse yet, if you ever see her again, I will kill you." Zechs then turned and calmly left the room. Trowa sat on the floor stunned. He finally came to his senses and rubbed the side of his face, which still stung terribly. The evidence of the attack would surely show by tomorrow. A sudden rage filled his chest, and he leapt up and walked into the main corridors. He glided past groups in the halls with easy grace, but a fury in his step. Andrea noticed Trowa as soon as he entered the cafeteria. She leapt up and intercepted him, pushing him back toward the hallway. Trowa was fighting ahead, his eyes locked on Zechs.

"Trowa, don't even think about it!" She whispered hoarsely.

"I have to do this."

"And get yourself thrown out of here!"

"Andrea, let me handle this." He growled. Andrea glared up at him, knowing that her strength would falter long before his, but knew that she could probably talk him down.

"Trowa, what is this worth? Nothing! If you fight him now, it will be considered insubordination, and you will get relocated, or knowing his rank, get thrown out of here completely."

"Just because he is a higher rank than me does not mean he can assault me over personal matters and get away with it. He is going to get what he deserves." He pushed Andrea to the side a little more roughly than he intended to, and stormed toward Zechs. He placed his hand roughly on his senior officer's shoulder and spun him around violently.

"Trowa, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Zechs asked; his blue eyes narrowed.

"Where the hell do you get off, Zechs?" Trowa seethed, "You think that you can demean me and assault me because you lost your lover? The last time I checked, it was not my fault that your relationship went dry. I can tell you this right now, you can try all you want, but I will not let you screw up something for me because of your jealously."

"Trowa, I suggest you stand down." The growl was hinting at Zechs' voice again.

"No," Trowa growled right back, "and I have a novel idea for you. Why not just let her be happy, eh? She obviously wasn't happy before." Trowa threw in one last glare as a flame flickered in Zechs' eye. Zechs watched the younger man start to leave when he approached again and grabbed him painfully by the wrist.

"Never speak like that to me ever again, do you hear me!" He kept his angered voice low in his ear. Trowa didn't even notice the pain he just kept his eyes forward.

"Get your hands off of me."

"That's it." Zechs stated flatly, and louder so that other officers would hear his decree, "Trowa, I want you off of this base. Take a week away from here, but if I see you in that interim, you will be out of the Preventers so fast, you won't know what hit you. Now get out of my sight, and get on the next shuttle to anywhere."

"Fine by me." Trowa jerked free from Zechs and calmly left back into the corridors. Andrea looked at Zechs with a mix of disbelief and anger, and then chased after Trowa. He had already reached the hostel when he heard Andrea running behind him.

"Trowa wait..." They both entered the common room at the same time, and she still followed as he stalked to his room and started packing a bag.

"Andrea, you should head back there," Trowa turned around finally, "I don't want you getting in trouble on account of me."

"I don't give a damn, Trowa, this is just so unfair!" Andrea bit her lip again, but a tear managed to snake down her face. Trowa's hard expression gave way, and he pulled her into a hug.

"God... I'm sorry Andrea," he sighed, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Well goddamnit Trowa, you need to learn that sometimes taking a hit can work in your favor, as long as you don't fly off the handle as well." She looked up at him and wiped her face free of tears, "Just, get out of here for now, let things calm down. Stay with your friends for a while. Zechs will forget about all of this, I promise."

"Are you going to be okay, you know, here?"

"I will be fine, okay, don't worry," Andrea pulled away from the kind embrace and threw a couple of his books into his suitcase, "I just don't want to see you and Zechs get into it again." Trowa smiled and hugged her about the shoulders.

"Thank you, Andrea." Andrea blushed, but bit it back.

"You are welcome," she smiled, "and before you leave, I think there is a package for you on the table in the common room." Trowa packed the rest of his things and grabbed a small, modest package that was addressed to him on the table. Andrea escorted him to a shuttle that was heading to L2.

"I will stay with Heero and Duo for awhile, here is their number," he handed her a small scrap of folded paper, "call me if you need anything, even just to talk."

"Thanks hun, now get a move on, the shuttle is leaving in five minutes." Trowa looked down at the younger woman, who was his only real ally at the moment. A sudden grin played across his lips and he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you Andrea, you will hear from me, I promise." He boarded the shuttle, leaving Andrea to silently drown in the reverie of the contact, which was nothing more than a friendly gesture. She sighed and walked slowly back to hostel 5.

After the shuttle took off, Trowa remembered the package he had received in the mail. He pulled out the large, light envelope, which was obviously packaged with some sort of foam protective packaging inside. He noticed that the return address was Heero and Duo's place on L2. He opened it quickly to find letters from both of them, a new address book from Heero, and an ornate silver cross, obviously from Duo. He slipped the cross around his neck, and then looked at the address book curiously. He flipped through the blank pages until he found a note inside.

'Trowa,

You left your address book in the Nightshade, it must have fallen out of your pocket. Lucrezia Noin returned it to me, and it is in poor shape. Come to visit Duo and I and we can work on getting this new one started for you out of what is left of the old one.

-Heero'

Trowa smiled at Heero's cunning. It was certainly a persuasive way to get him to come on a visit. Little did they know that he would be there shortly.

"Well, at least I have a home away from home." He smiled.

A/N: Well, this flowed out of me REALLY fast... I had about a page hand-written when I started, and it turned into over 5 pages typed in one afternoon. I liked writing this chapter a lot, and I look forward to starting on the next. I have an idea on where this is going now, and there are still lots of twists and turns that I plan to wrench out of this piece. I warn you now, my Trowa-loving reviewers, you may feel the urge to hit me for putting Trowa through so much, but I am sure you will love the story all the way a long. Thank you folks so much for reading! - Lilly


	6. Raising the Dead

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 6: Raising the Dead

There he stood, upon his friends' doorstep, his fist raised to knock, and something wanted to make him stop. Trowa sighed and his hand slipped back down to his side. His other hand was still clutching the cross Duo sent him, which was hanging around his neck. Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal the form of Heero Yuy.

"That was sooner than I expected."

"How did you know I was here?" Trowa asked after catching his breath.

"My office is on the second floor, I saw you coming out of the window. I figured I should have come down her, since you didn't look all that thrilled to be here." Heero was looking him over, especially the right side of his face, which was starting to become a bit discolored.

"No, no it's not that." But before Trowa could explain himself, Duo came in from the small backyard. Upon seeing Trowa he lit up a bit.

"Wow, here already? I see you got our package." He pointed to the cross that was still in Trowa's grip. Trowa gave a sigh of defeat.

"I have a lot to explain."

"We figured," Heero said casually and grabbed Trowa's suitcase, "come in and make yourself at home first though." Trowa walked in and shut the door behind him while Heero disappeared into another room with his belongings. It was a really nice apartment; the furnishings were all modern, mostly white, the carpets were eggshell white, and the rooms were done in either white or a deep blue color. It was a small two-story in a very nice area. Duo explained that he hardly even noticed their neighbors since they were so quiet. A long, rectangular fish-tank served as the divider between the kitchen and the dining and living room area. There were all sorts of colorful saltwater fish populating the tank.

"Heero picked up a new hobby a little while ago."

"So are they all his?" Trowa asked while watching the beautiful creatures.

"All except for that one." Duo pointed to a crevasse in a piece of coral. Closer inspection revealed a small black eel with green eyes and white spots all along its body.

"Just your style." Trowa straightened up and grinned at Duo.

"Exactly, and he is a perfect gentleman," Duo smirked suddenly, "well, unless he decides to snack on one of Heero's fish before we have time to feed him."

"I'm going to kill that damn thing one of these days." Heero walked back into the room.

"You will do nothing to it."

"I will make sushi out of it, how about that?" An evil little flicker flashed across his face. Duo just punched him hard on the shoulder, which only threw Heero slightly off balance.

"I just hope that someday he will get big enough to eat you. Bastard." Duo mumbled.

"I uh..." Trowa started, gaining the full attention of both of his friends, "I don't know how to thank you for taking me in."

"Taking you in? What are you talking about?" Duo asked, offering Trowa a chair at the dining table, "We wanted you to come for a visit."

"I know, but you guys are the ones I have to go to anyway," Trowa dropped heavily into the chair and folded his arms in front of him, "I am on disciplinary leave for at least a week."

"What did you do?" Always clear-cut Heero asked with a concerned gaze.

"Lots."

"Does this have anything to do with Lucrezia Noin?" Duo asked with a serious expression, "The fact that she came here and dropped off that address book says something is up there." Heero took a seat next to Duo across the table from Trowa. The piercing gaze of the two was getting to Trowa.

"All right," Trowa sighed and looked up, "I did go off base the other day. I ran into Andrea and she told me about a party, but she needed someone older to be a chaperone. I agreed to go, since I was bored enough anyway. We went to a nightclub, and I ran into Noin there. Andrea was out of my sight and managed to get herself smashed, so she went and stayed with the Briars."

"The Briars? You mean manager of the Nightshade, Briars?" Duo asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"No reason, keep going."

"Well, Mr. Briar managed to get me to stay while Andrea rested up at their home with his wife and kids. I ran into Lucrezia again, and she bought me a drink. We talked, and we danced, and uhh... she brought me home with her." Trowa forbid the blush that was building from showing on his skin. A smile snaked across Duo's face.

"Who would have thought you and Lucrezia," he marveled, "you're a lucky man."

"Duo." Heero snapped.

"Well, lucky in one sense I guess," Trowa smiled sadly, "but unlucky in another. Zechs and Lucrezia had only recently gone their separate ways, and Zechs found out about us."

"Did he do that to you?" Heero had become his deadly serious self. Trowa touched his face, which was now terribly tender and stinging with pain. Duo looked grave.

"Yeah..." Trowa closed his eyes, "he confronted me in the hostel while the rest of the group had left early for dinner. He pinned me against the wall and struck me. I got to my senses after he left, pulled myself up off of the floor and followed him. I confronted him in the cafeteria, and he threw me off base for at least a week. After all, he is my senior officer, and nobody was witness to the attack. My word and this bruising is all I have to back me up. I know Andrea would fight for me, but she doesn't have legs to stand on to testify that he was the one who struck me."

"Leave it to Zechs to make the best situation for himself." Duo grumbled.

"It doesn't matter," Heero softened his expression a bit, "we will document the injuries and take a report, that way if Trowa wants to press charges then he can. Somehow, I think this will just blow over though. For now, let's just enjoy the fact that we have an old friend in town to visit." Duo and Trowa brightened up a bit at Heero. Duo suddenly got up from the table.

"Trowa, I am going to make you a dinner that is so good, you will be begging to stay before you have to go back and eat the cafeteria food on base." With that he left to the kitchen and heard a clamor of pots and pans being taken out. Trowa chuckled and Heero made eye contact with him, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Why do you think I live with him? I would probably starve otherwise." Heero said in a whisper. Trowa burst out laughing, and ended up having one of the most enjoyable evenings for quite some time.

Trowa slept quite well, and when he awoke in the morning, both Heero and Duo had left for their respective jobs. Duo had left him some breakfast and a note telling him that they would probably not be back until later in the evening. Heero had left Trowa's mangled address book and a house key on the kitchen counter as well. Trowa spent the next hour or so having his meal and salvaging the old address book into the new one. He ran across Lucrezia's note with her phone number and wrote that down as well. In a moment of silent deliberation, he finally decided to call her. Nobody was home of course, but he left a message and told her where he was, and that they needed to talk. After putting the phone down, it rang again suddenly. To his surprise, Duo and Heero didn't have caller ID installed yet. He picked up the phone anyway and figured he could take a message for them. He soon wished that he didn't decide to be a good houseguest.

"Yuy residence." He said politely.

"T-Trowa?" The response came from an all too familiar source. Trowa suddenly felt sick.

"Heero and Duo are not in right now." He finally managed to choke out in a cold tone.

"Well that's fine, that doesn't matter, you are there, and I've been wanting to talk to you." Quatre sounded exhilarated, almost triumphant to be speaking to Trowa.

"Have you?"

"Well yes, but I was told you weren't too keen on talking to me." Trowa bit his tongue to keep from snapping at Quatre.

"Well, do you really blame me?" He said as nicely as he could. He heard Quatre sigh.

"No, I don't," he finally said, "Trowa, I would really like to get in contact with you. Go out for lunch, spend some time together, is that too much to ask?"

"I guess not."

"How long are you staying with Heero and Duo?"

"For at least a week."

"Well, why don't I pick you up now, and I won't bother you for the rest of the week, okay?"

"Where are you?"

"On L2, I am taking a business vacation." Quatre was sounding more and more relaxed, like he used to be around Trowa.

"Oh... well..."

"Well, I will be over there in about 15 minutes. See you soon." The phone clicked in Trowa's ear and he put it down. Suppressing an urge to scream to the heavens, Trowa merely strode into his room, pulled on some casual clothes, and waited like a zombie in the living room, not thinking of anything in particular. Sure enough, 15 minutes after he hung up the phone, the doorbell rang. Trowa found it hard to pick himself up off of the couch, but as it rang again, he got to his feet and opened the door. Quatre had moved to the more trendy set since he moved back to the colonies; his hair was still platinum but always done in a messy way that flattered him greatly, some bits of it covering his striking blue eyes. He stood in the doorway wearing casual black slacks and a dark blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Trowa was immediately angry with himself for realizing, yet again, how handsome Quatre was. Quatre seemed to notice the same thing about Trowa, and it was a moment before he said anything.

"G-good to see you." He blushed at his fumble.

"Yeah."

"Well, shall we be off then?" Quatre turned and pointed to the short limousine waiting out front. Trowa nodded and locked the door behind him before stepping into the car with Quatre.

"Where are we off to?" Trowa asked as he looked out of the window for a moment.

"A small bistro in town," Quatre looked at him and smiled, "I figured you would want to go someplace casual." Trowa nodded back at him and there was silence yet again.

"Quatre..."

"Trowa, I know you didn't want to see me, so don't even tell me that." Quatre closed his eyes and shook his head, "You can't keep running from your friends forever though, especially from me."

"I know that, Quatre," Trowa looked at him, "but you have no idea how much the word friend hurts me." They rode in silence until they got to the bistro; Quatre was still in solemn thought. They went inside and grabbed a table, both ordering something modest.

"Trowa, you better say what you want to say." Quatre said to him finally.

"That is a lot to say."

"Then stop avoiding it." Trowa looked up and directly into the ice-blue stare pelting him. He suddenly felt anger rip through his veins.

"I wouldn't avoid it if it didn't hurt so fucking much. Quatre, you left me cold, just up and dropped me. You never even told me why, but don't bother, because I know why. You were afraid, and you let people push you around like you always do. Damnit Quatre," Trowa sighed, "I loved you, and you threw it all away because you were afraid of what other people would think."

"Do you really think that is an insignificant thing to worry about?" Quatre countered, "Sure, it wasn't a problem for you. You are low on the radar; you keep to yourself, you are happy to live life as a normal person. I don't have that luxury! I have to run a company that touches almost every place on Earth and the colonies! I am the only male in my family; I have to keep the line going. They call me a modern-day king, and everyone expects me to find a princess to be by my side, not a prince! I had to give up on us Trowa, because I have to be a certain person in order to survive. I have to live my life this way, and I am happy."

"Then why did you look so shocked when you saw Lucrezia and I at the Nightshade?" Trowa looked at Quatre darkly. Quatre looked away sharply and shut his eyes, his brow furrowing in anger, but finally softening again.

"Not every mask is unbreakable, Trowa," Quatre sighed, "you know that."

"You've missed me."

"Just shut up." Quatre plastered a smiling face on a moment later when the food was brought to the table. For the rest of the meal they had good conversation, and the mood picked up slightly. It was like their days as pilots when they could just sit and talk. It was like before their realizations of how they felt for one another, before anything transpired, and it felt so right to talk that way. They left the bistro two hours later, talking and laughing about lighter memories of wartime. They ended up spending the day together, and wound up in one of the parks on the outskirts of town when the artificial evening was coming on.

"I keep forgetting how real it seems up here, how much it is really like Earth." Trowa looked up at the artificial sky, which was turning shades of orange, red, and purple.

"They do a great job." Quatre shivered suddenly. Trowa chuckled and took of his leather jacket, and then draped it over the shorter man's shoulders.

"The last thing you need to do is get sick." Trowa smiled. Quatre smiled back at him as they stopped to rest on a park bench. Trowa let his head fall back and stared into the false sky above.

"Do you love her, Trowa?"

"Hm?"

"Lucrezia." Trowa lifted his head up to see Quatre staring at his feet with a sad expression.

"I don't know... I have not even heard from her since that night at the Nightshade."

"So, are you going to see her again?"

"With any luck, yes," Trowa looked ahead with a thoughtful expression, "I would like to know if that night was just a fluke or if she actually cares for me." Quatre's gaze snapped up to Trowa.

"So you did sleep with her?" He almost demanded.

"Well, yes I did." Trowa blinked and looked back at Quatre.

"But did it mean anything?" There was desperation flickering behind Quatre's steady eyes. Trowa's brow furrowed as the question really hit home. Did it mean anything, or was it his body and his anger trying to find an outlet for all of the emotions he had pent up for so long.

"I-I don't know."

"I wish you did." Quatre sighed, his eyes closing again.

"Quatre... why?"

"Because maybe I could get some closure if you said you love her," Quatre confessed, "maybe I could move on, maybe I could really love Dorothy. Maybe I wouldn't have to lie to myself every time we make love."

"What are you talking about, don't you love her?" Trowa demanded, "You are getting married!"

"Yes, we are getting married, but it is like marrying my best friend." Quatre looked up, "Every time she wants to be intimate, I have to..." Quatre's voice trailed off as he looked away again, a blush coming unbidden to his face.

"You have to what?" Trowa's breath caught in his throat.

"I have to," Quatre swallowed his pride, "I have to think of you if I ever want to perform for her." It was Trowa's turn to blush now.

"Quatre..."

"Don't say anything, I feel bad enough as is, but it is the truth."

"Quatre, perhaps you should be getting home, somehow I don't think spending time with me is good for you right now." Trowa stood up and started to walk toward the park entrance, but Quatre grabbed hold of his sleeve and stood up.

"Damnit Trowa, I can't stop thinking about you." Quatre turned Trowa around and had a hold of him by both arms. Trowa didn't like where this was going, but part of his mind didn't care at all. He tried to pull away but his body faltered. There was just far too much history between the two of them to ignore. Part of Trowa would have liked nothing better than to have kissed Quatre right there, but Quatre took care of that for him. It was possibly the most desperate and savage kiss they had ever shared, and their awkward grip on one another melted into a flush one. For a moment, Trowa had never felt better in his life. He stopped briefly and ran his tongue lightly across his former lover's lower lip, just like Quatre loved. When he heard Quatre's light moan at the action, Trowa shook himself awake and broke away from the blonde.

"Quatre, we can't do this, you know it."

"But we want to."

"We want to right now, but you know you can't be with me, you won't let yourself, and I refuse to become someone on the side for you. I can't handle that Quatre, I can't handle being fucked and then left in the dust. Go home Quatre." Trowa turned and left, forgetting about his jacket, which was still hanging from Quatre's shoulders.

Trowa caught a bus and made it back to Heero and Duo's apartment within a half hour. Upon entering, he was overwhelmed with delicious scents from the kitchen. Heero was sitting in the living room reading part of the newspaper he neglected from his morning coffee. When he saw Trowa, he dropped it and turned his full attention to his friend.

"Trowa, are you all right?" He asked. Duo poked his head out from the kitchen and looked at Trowa as well, who had seemed to lose a little color from his features.

"No, not really." He said and gave a nervous chuckle.

"Where have you been?" Duo asked.

"With Quatre." Trowa looked at his feet, and Heero got up from his seat.

"You don't even have to tell me, just tell me this: did you give in to him?" Trowa looked into Heero's deadly eyes and shook his head no.

"Then you did the right thing." Duo sighed and wiped his hands on a dishtowel, "Quatre may still have feelings for you, but you know it's not right."

"I just wish I could say I was over him."

"We all wish you both could be over eachother, it would make life more manageable." Heero put a hand on Trowa's shoulder.

"But we all know that life just loves to screw with you, and these cases are the ones it loves to screw with most." Duo added in, "Don't worry on it now Trowa, you have a safe place here always."

"Thank you, I am going to go read for awhile though, I think."

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour I think, can I plan on having you dine with us." Trowa felt his expression melt into a smile.

"Of course you can, Duo." With that, he left to his room and grabbed a book from out of his bag. Before he sat down on the bed, though, he noticed a note on his nightstand. It read 'Lucrezia called, she wants to see you tomorrow' in Heero's precise script.

A/N: Oh my goodness. I freewrote this ALL today in about 2 hours (with breaks) in Word. So forgive me if there are some mistakes, they will get edited and fixed soon! I have not even gotten the chance to re-read this, but I was so excited, that I just had to post this up here! With my next chapter, I plan to have more character development with some of the folks who have kind of been shoved away, namely Zechs and Lucrezia. Then again, it will probably be freewritten, so who knows where it will end up. I thank for their "Chillout" streaming radio for the production of this piece. Talk about getting the creative juices flowing. Heck, I may even start on chapter 7 tonight. Until later, thank you for reading, and thank you bunches more for reviews/questions! - Lilly

PS: I know that my chapter titles can be cryptic, but they all mean somthing to the chapter, if you think about it.


	7. Truly?

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 7: Truly?

The next day was Friday, and Trowa woke up with an added spring in his step. Sure, he had a bad run in with Quatre the day before, but he also got a message from Lucrezia. He called her in the morning early before she had to go on shift, and they agreed to have dinner together that night. She didn't sound terribly happy, and mentioned something about Zechs, but the prospect of going out with Trowa that night seemed to lift her spirits. Trowa walked into the bathroom and noticed that the swelling on his face was gone, but the black and yellow bruising was still evident.

"Maybe she will like it," Trowa mused to himself, "maybe she likes a dangerous looking man." Heero and Duo did not have any time off until the weekend, so they were gone yet again. Trowa was really getting to like Duo's cooking, and was afraid that he would really not want to head back to base. He took a shower and read into the afternoon before heading out into town. He and Lucrezia were to meet at five sharp, so he had some time before he needed to be at the restaurant. His cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a Preventers number plastered across the small screen. He took in a sharp breath and answered it.

"Barton."

"Oh, Trowa!" Came the relieved voice of Andrea, "I am so glad you are there."

"Andrea, what's up?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Well I called originally to see what was up, but Gale has news too."

"Is that so? Well, I am doing just fine, tell me what the news is." There was a slight shuffling over the receiver, and suddenly Gale was talking instead.

"I wanted to call to warn you that Zechs is coming to L2 today!"

"When?" Trowa's heart nearly stopped.

"He left sometime this morning, I only found out now after prodding Sally about it for 20 minutes," Gale said quickly, "I guess he is meeting someone there, but I have a feeling that someone is you!"

"Thank you for telling me Gale." There was another shuffle on the other end, and Andrea had managed to get the phone back.

"Trowa you take care of yourself. If I were you, I would stay glued to those friends of yours incase Zechs does come along. I don't know what kind of mood he is in after all."

"Well, I can't really do that," Trowa sighed, "I am meeting Lucrezia in less than 45 minutes."

"Oh," something about the reaction seemed more like a disappointment than a concern, "well still, you need to be extra careful, just incase."

"I know, I know." He sighed in reply.

"Trowa, I know you are not okay right now," Andrea was suddenly serious, "please tell me what is bothering you." Trowa spent the remainder of his free time telling Andrea about what had happened the day before as he walked toward the restaurant. She had a lot of encouraging words for him, and he felt quite a bit better after speaking with her. He noticed that she still would not stay on the subject of Lucrezia for very long. He made a note of it in his head, and a picture was starting to become clearer. It was a picture that he didn't care for very much. He hung up with her, promising to stay safe, before walking into the restaurant five minutes early. He picked a table near the window and stared into nothingness. Lucrezia showed up only a couple minutes after, and was content to study Trowa's form, since he was so absent from reality. She sauntered over casually, hips swaying gently, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked up into her smiling face. She looked lovely; some of her shoulder-length hair was curled just slightly, still taking its dip over her eye. She was wearing black again, and it flattered her greatly. She wore a silk halter and a muslin mini-shirt with violet trim. She looked at the bruising on his face for a moment with a shock, but he smiled and her worry dissipated.

"Lucrezia." His greeting came out a little more breathy than he intended. She blushed and chuckled, taking a seat across from him.

"Nice to see you too, Trowa." His eyes darted to the floor for a moment before looking back up with a slight grin. Lucrezia blushed, remembering that grin from only a couple nights earlier. She shook her head and laughed.

"Have you missed me?" She asked, eyes sparkling, as a waiter brought them their menus.

"That depends," Trowa sighed and eyed her, "seeing that I cannot seem to remove your scent from my skin, it has not been so bad."

"I've missed you too." She said with a grin. It was just the answer Trowa wanted to hear, that perhaps there really was something to this little rendezvous. They shared a great meal, and yet another nice night of idle chat about things.

"In seriousness though, Trowa," she suddenly said, "I got a report that you were thrown off base for awhile, what is going on up there?"

"Insubordination was the claim, wasn't it?"

"Well yes, but I would have never suspected it from you."

"Zechs struck me for a personal dispute, and I felt it wasn't right," he stated flatly, "so I called him on it. Unfortunately, nobody saw the attack, so he had leverage enough to throw me off base for a week." Lucrezia's brow suddenly furrowed in anger.

"That son of a bitch does not have the right," she spat, "I could have his rank for this, attacking a fellow officer for domestic cases. It is against code, it is against Preventers law."

"That may be so, but I don't have a leg to stand on for prosecution. There were no witnesses, so all I have to go on is my testimony," Trowa sighed and brushed his hair from his face mindlessly, "everything else would be biased views, my side or his."

"Well, I can't argue with you about the logistics, because you are absolutely right," she nodded, "but there are still ways around it."

"I would rather just let things blow over."

"That is admirable of you," she smiled as the waiter brought their check, "well, why don't we pay this and head back to my place, huh?" Trowa smile returned, and they argued for a moment over who was paying. They finally settled on Trowa picking up the bill and Lucrezia leaving tip. They took a cab back to her apartment, laughing and chatting as usual. Lucrezia put her key in the lock and stopped suddenly.

"That's strange."

"What is?"

"The door is unlocked, I could have sworn I locked it when I left."

"Let me go in first." Lucrezia removed the key from the lock and allowed Trowa to go ahead of her. There were lights on in the living room.

"I didn't leave those on." The two of them walked into the room and found Zechs sitting on the couch, reading a book. A pair of rectangular glasses was perched on his nose, and as he looked up, his eyes narrowed through them. Lucrezia went white, and Trowa's brow furrowed.

"Did you forget about my visit, Lucrezia?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Oh god, Zechs, I'm sorry, I must have." Trowa stood a little behind Lucrezia so that she would not see the venom that had suddenly filled his features.

"I certainly see that," he looked at the clock on the mantle, which read nine in the evening, "I've been waiting since six, why did you forget about me?"

"Zechs, a lot has been happening this week, I lost track of time. I honestly thought that you would be coming tomorrow, not today." She managed.

"I told you that Friday I had business to attend to on L2, and then had the rest of the day free to spend with you. You told me I could come over in the evening, and we could talk," he fiddled in his pocket for a moment, which put Trowa on edge, but he only withdrew a key, "you even told me that they key was under the mat." He tossed the key onto the coffee table, which made a loud clang against the glass.

"Zechs, you can't blame me for a simple mistake." Lucrezia crossed her arms. Zechs looked over Lucrezia's shoulder, a sneer now across his lips.

"No, I certainly cannot blame you for a mistake," Zechs looked back at Lucrezia, "but two mistakes in one week is pushing it."

"Don't start Zechs." Trowa growled.

"Oh don't be so naïve, Trowa," Zechs spat and then approached Lucrezia, taking her wrists and looking her in the eyes as she struggled slightly, "Lucrezia wanted me to visit her because she was lonely, she just met you along the way." Trowa felt the sting of those words; he looked at Lucrezia.

"Is it true?"

"Well..." She stumbled and then yanked herself away from Zechs, "yes, yes it is true, but Trowa, I thought he was all I had. But then I met you, at the Nightshade, I thought we could have something." Trowa didn't listen to any of the rest; he started to walk out when Lucrezia grabbed his arm. He turned to her and looked into a set of pleading eyes.

"Don't bother trying to lie to yourself, Lucrezia." Zechs snapped. Lucrezia's expression turned to anger.

"Zechs, get out of my house!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Get out of my goddamned house before I call the authorities and have you thrown out!" She pointed to the door. Zechs gave Trowa a dirty look before leaving, slamming the door behind him. Lucrezia sank down onto the couch and sighed. Trowa leaned in the archway of the entry into the living room, not really sure of what to do. He ran a hand through the shorter part of his hair.

"Lucrezia."

"Trowa, I know this is bad." He heard her sigh, "I can't really go back and change things though, can I? Sure, I still do care for him, but can you blame me? We've been together for so long, and now we are apart for good, of course I am going to miss the time we have shared, and things we have done. I am still going to fall weak for that, anyone would. I just thought I would never find anything else, because I am so inexperienced, I thought that he was the only one. But then I saw you at the club the other night, when I was feeling downright hopeless, and I felt a rush in my blood that I have not felt in ages. There was nothing I wanted more right then, in that moment, than you. I still want you, Trowa." He listened to every word carefully, they way that she wove them together. He had gotten extremely good at listening, and he knew that there was something underlying her story. What it was, he did not know, he couldn't actually tell, and though that bothered him, he tried to tell himself not to worry, that he must just be over-analyzing. He chose to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I still want you too." He said with his back still turned to her. She was quiet, but her heard her as she stood up and walked over to him. Her arms slipped around his waist, and she rested some of her weight on his back. He smiled a little at her contented sigh. He suddenly felt her arms slip away, and she tugged off his jacket gently, tossing it to the side. He turned to see an innocent smile on her lips, but something a little more naughty dancing in her eyes. She wanted to have sex already? Trowa didn't have time to think on it more, as he found himself pushed against the hallway wall in a desperate kiss. For a moment, he wanted to stop, but soon realized it would probably prove to be constructive. The little run in with Quatre the day before had left him wanting some physical attention. He hoped that every time he saw Quatre wouldn't send him into the same state, however. They moved from the hallway to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind them. Trowa noticed that she seemed to be slowing down a little. As he kissed her, he finally broke free and looked at her.

"Trowa?"  
"Lucrezia, are you okay?"

"Not really," she sighed, and then looked at him with a slight smile, "I had probably the longest day at headquarters I have ever had, a lovely dinner thankfully, and then my ex-boyfriend shows up on the couch because I was too mixed up to call and cancel on him. I am really, really tired."

"Then sleep." Trowa smiled and kissed her forehead before drawing the blankets over them and lay beside her. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at him.

"Are you sure?"

"I am not going to make love to a woman who may drift off half-way through." Trowa gave her a wry smile. She sighed and gave in to a smile, falling back onto the bed and pulling the covers over her bare arms. She felt his arms wrap around her and was able to fall asleep easily. Trowa sighed after noticing her last bit of consciousness slip away. He was still bothered by the scene before, by all she had said. It troubled him that he cared for her this much, because he saw that she may not care for him in the same way. It seemed, yet again, that he may be heading toward pain, but he closed his eyes and dismissed the thought. What is the point in life if you don't put up a fight, after all?

A/N: This chapter was quite short, sorry about that. ; Also, I noticed that the link in the last entry to disappeared. Oo Very weird. Yet again, their music helped me write this chapter pretty quickly.

I want to thank my reviewers very much! And Bramblerose4, your idea for a side-story from Quatre's POV is genious! I may just do that pretty soon, but I think I am going to write a couple more chapters here before I work on that. Quatre still has a part to play, so I would like to see where that goes. Until next time, enjoy! - Lilly


End file.
